A former British MP declared Israel “forfeited any right to exist” after the international media blamed the Jewish state for an explosion at a hospital in Gaza on Tuesday evening, despite denials from Jerusalem.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has claimed the explosion at the Ahli Baptist Hospital in the Gaza Strip was a result of a misfired rocket intended to strike Israel by the Iranian-backed Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terror organisation.
Islamic Jihad struck a Hospital in Gaza—the IDF did not.
Listen to the terrorists as they realize this themselves: pic.twitter.com/u7WyU8Rxwz
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) October 18, 2023
However, legacy media outlets quickly attributed — without evidence — the deadly blast to a missile fired from Israel.
Before the dust had settled, a wave of condemnations came from politicians throughout the world and one former British parliamentarian, former Labour Party MP Chris Williamson, went so far as to suggest the entire state of Israel should be abolished.
“Israel has forfeited any right to exist,” Williamson wrote on social media.
When pressed to explain his post, the former MP added: “You know that Israel is a racist endeavour… Its brutal behaviour over 75 years is now manifesting itself in a genocide before our very eyes. Unless and until Israel is dismantled, we will never achieve peace in the region.”
Following the deadly Hamas terror attacks on Israel earlier this month that have left over 1,200 Israelis and tourists dead, thousands more injured, and approximately 200 kidnapped, Williamson said that the terror attacks were justified.
“I do NOT condemn Palestine’s armed uprising against 75 years of Israeli oppression. I wish it wasn’t necessary, but all non-violent efforts to obtain justice have been spurned by Israel,” he wrote.
Israel has forfeited any right to exist. https://t.co/dK6mtTW0nP
— Chris Williamson (@DerbyChrisW) October 17, 2023
Williamson served as a member of parliament for the left-wing Labour Party from Derby North from 2010 to 2015 and from 2017 to 2019. He also served as the Shadow Minister for Communities and Local Government from October 2010 to October 2013.
The far-left politician was suspended from the party and ultimately blocked from standing as an MP candidate for Labour in 2019 over reportedly downplaying antisemitism within the left-wing party under the leadership of socialist former leader Jeremy Corbyn.
Following the explosion at the hospital in Gaza, Corbyn — who has also been barred by Labour from standing for the party in the next general election over the antisemitism scandal — also blamed the deadly blast on Israel, writing on social media: “Israeli air strikes have hit Al Ahli hospital in Gaza. More than 500 people – patients, doctors & those sheltering – have been killed.
“What unspeakable horror. We will mourn their loss forever. Our leaders could have spoken up for peace. They chose to cheer on war instead.
File/ Protesters demonstrate against antisemitism in the Labour Party on March 26, 2018 in London, England. The Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council accused Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn of failing to address antisemitism in his party. (Jack Taylor/Getty)
“When will they demand an end to these atrocious war crimes? How many Palestinian lives will it take to call for these indiscriminate killings to stop? Please, for the sake of humanity, raise your voice for an immediate ceasefire. The existence of the Palestinian people is at stake.”
So far, no evidence has been provided to back up the claims from Hamas that Israel was behind the explosion. Meanwhile, Israel has published audio purporting to demonstrate Hamas terrorists acknowledging that the explosion occurred as a result of a misfired rocket intended to strike Israel.
Editor’s Note: This story was updated to reflect a revised number on the death toll from the October 7 Hamas attack in Israel. The Israeli government estimate of 1,400 was revised to around 1,200, according to Reuters.
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